Talkin’ bout my Generation… Rwanda

One of the first things we wanted to do when we arrived in Rwanda was to meet the students and staff of Orphans of Rwanda. We were so excited by the generous donation our friends and family gave to the organization during our wedding, and we wanted to be able to report back with what we saw.

We have no doubt in our mind that this was the right beneficiary of our gifts. The organization receives thousands of applications each year from eager students with difficult backgrounds, but only a handful are selected (somewhere between 20 and 30 students). Each student receives a full scholarship for university education in Rwanda, in addition to housing, health insurance, and a stipend. In exchange for the scholarship, students are required to take additional courses offered by the organization in English, computer skills, and leadership. These are some of the brightest young people in Rwanda, and unquestionably the next leaders of this country. It is only appropriate then that the organization recently changed its name to Generation Rwanda to reflect a more forward thinking attitude.

I’ve had the pleasure of volunteering on various projects with Generation Rwanda while I continue my job search. I have to say, the staff is just as driven as the students, and it’s been a real privilege to be able to work with them. One day while in the office, the opportunity to teach a leadership class to the students came up and I jumped on it! Knowing Sushant had taken several leadership classes at Wharton, I knew he’d be interested in co-teaching.

We taught the first class on a lovely Saturday morning at a local restaurant that offers Generation Rwanda discounted use of their space. We booted up the projector, passed out the handouts, and started the lecture. We were quite nervous that the students would be apprehensive about participating in discussions, but it turns out it was the complete opposite. The students raised interesting questions, had passionate discussions, and were visibly eager for the knowledge.

We had such an amazing time with the students that we’ve asked to continue teaching these courses during our time in Rwanda. We hope to maintain the relationship we have with Generation Rwanda for years to come, and look forward to introducing many of you to the students and staff when you come visit!
(Megha)

Brace yourself, Rwanda! Patel and Mukherjee have arrived...

After 3 flight changes, a 10 hour layover in London, and some pretty bad flight movies, we finally made it to Kigali! We were bewildered when we landed and saw a grand total of 1 other plane in the entire airport, and 2 ground personnel that doubled as baggage handlers. Kigali is definitely small and sleepy, a far cry from the big brash African cities of the likes of Johannesburg and Nairobi.

The drive from the airport showed a city with endless rolling hills (the country's nickname is "A Land of a Thousand Hills"), busy yet orderly traffic, and startlingly clean streets. The air is crisp and easy to breathe, and the hills will only become more beautiful and lush once the rainy season begins.

We made it to our home for the next month - Hotel des Milles Collines (made famous by the movie Hotel Rwanda). It's a stunning hotel, but oddly, has no plaque or memorial to signify the events that took place here 16 years ago. It's surreal to sit by the pool in a hammock and imagine that this was where terrified guests washed their clothes and drank the water while the genocide raged outside the hotel grounds.

To celebrate our first night back in Africa, we thought it only fitting to dine at the best Indian restaurant in town -Khana Khazana. We see ourselves frequenting this place often, and are crossing our fingers that we'll be moving into the house available down the street! [Special note to our Dads, the first two songs we heard that night at dinner were 'Seasons in the Sun' (Megha's Dad's favorite song) and 'Please Forgive Me' (Sushant's Dad's all time favorite) - made us miss our families a little more]

We've been spending the past few days getting our life in order - opening an account at the Bank of Kigali, shopping for basic supplies at the local Nakumatt (Africa's closest thing to a Walmart... run by a Patel, of course!), and house hunting.

Today we embraced our Indian-ness again by heading to the Indian Independence Day Celebrations with the Indian Association of Rwanda (we're proud card-carrying members now!). The grounds were surrounded by Indian and Rwandan flags and pennants, and signs commemorating India's 64th year of independence and Paul Kagame's resounding victory in the recent Rwandan elections.

All in all, it's been an exciting and upbeat introduction to this charming city that is now our home!

Wedding (check!)... Gall Bladder Removal Surgery (check!)... Rwanda, here we come!

After the chaos and fun of the wedding, and a rousing farewell to Sushant's gall bladder, we've finally chosen an official departure date:August 10, 2010. One-way tickets from Philly > London > Nairobi > Kigali. We'll arrive just after Rwanda's national election, to be held on August 9th. Thank you for checking in and stay tuned for more posts upon our arrival!